Army Paratroopers Test New Artillery Targeting System at Fort Bragg

By Leon Price, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Aug. 25, 2017 — Forward observers -- experts in calling for artillery and mortar fire and directing that ordnance onto enemy targets -- hit the mark in testing a new piece of targeting equipment here recently.

Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, perform a combat equipment airborne jump with the new Joint Effects Targeting System -- JETS -- during operational testing at Fort Bragg, N.C., June 15, 2017. Once on the ground, soldiers test the system to ensure it still functions. Army photo

"Black Falcon" Army paratroopers of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, tested the effectiveness and durability of the Joint Effects Targeting System, a modular, soldier-portable, handheld, day/night, all-weather, target observation, location and designation system.

JETS components include a handheld target location module, a laser marker module and a precision azimuth vertical angle module, all items mounted atop a tripod.

Collecting Data

Army Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Orouke, a test noncommissioned officer with the U.S. Army Operational Test Command's Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, said JETS testing collects data to determine the system’s suitability, reliability and survivability when conducting static line airborne operations, in a door bundle configuration for airdrops.

HHB troopers spent four days in New Equipment Training from the Program Manager Soldier Precision Targeting Devices office out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Juan Cruz, assistant JETS test NCO, said that NET places the soldiers in practical exercises to test the equipment.

After NET validation, Orouke said the "Black Falcons" put JETS through its paces by performing seven combat equipment jumps and several door bundle drops, making sure that JETS still functions after it reaches the ground.

Army Pvt. 1st Class Preshelemiah Hitgano, of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, sets up the Joint Effects Targeting System -- JETS -- to check that it functions during recent airdrop testing at Fort Bragg, N.C., June 15, 2017. JETS testing will continue into 2018 at several military installations. Army photo

After each airborne operation, forward observers assembled the equipment, and began identifying and designating enemy personnel and vehicle targets in day and night conditions.

Targets were arrayed over rolling terrain from 800 meters to over 2,500 meters away. Test data was then gathered to prepare a report, so senior Army leaders can make procurement decisions on JETS.

Testing

"Operational testing provides soldiers the opportunity to use, work with and offer up their suggestions on pieces of equipment that can impact development of systems that future soldiers will use in combat," said Army Col. Brad Mock, the director of Army Airborne testing.

Upon completion of testing, JETS could potentially be issued to Army light and airborne artillery forces worldwide.

JETS testing will continue into 2018 at several military installations.

Military Researchers Collaborate With University on Opioid Crisis

By Sarah Marshall Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 25, 2017 — Opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths across the United States, and West Virginia has been among the hardest hit by the crisis, experiencing the highest overdose death rates in the country.

With a shared vision of combating this growing epidemic, health care providers and researchers from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences here and West Virginia University have established an official collaboration to pool their resources.

In 2015, the overdose death rate in West Virginia was an estimated 41.5 per 100,000 people, an increase of about 17 percent from the year prior, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cabell County in southern West Virginia has a population of 96,000, and an estimated 10,000 of those residents are addicted to opioids.

Additionally, the state's indigent burial fund, which helps families pay for a funeral when they can't afford one, reportedly ran out of money this year for the sixth consecutive year, largely due to the high number of overdose deaths.

As the opioid epidemic continues to have a substantial impact on the state, leaders from WVU reached out to USU's Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management, aware of their efforts to successfully combat opioid misuse in the military over the last several years with the idea that lessons learned in the military would be applicable to their state's current crisis. Earlier this year, leaders from both universities developed a cooperative research and development agreement allowing them to formally share pain management resources developed by DVCIPM.

Adding Value to Civilian, Military Medicine

The agreement also allows the DVCIPM an opportunity to measure the efficacy of the tools they've developed in a new environment – a collaboration that these leaders believe already is adding value to both civilian and military medicine.

Nearly a decade ago, at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, physicians were seeking to help troops get their chronic pain levels to zero as they survived combat injuries in record numbers. This was often achieved by using opioids – and using opioids as a single modality – which the military quickly realized was not effective, because this approach was affecting many service members and their relationships with loved ones, work, and daily living.

In 2009, then-Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric Schoomaker chartered the Army Pain Management Task Force, which sought to make recommendations for a comprehensive pain management strategy, ensuring an optimal quality of life for service members and other patients dealing with pain. It became clear to the military that pain should be viewed as more than just a number, and over the last several years, the military has been dedicated to researching and developing more effective tools for pain management, ultimately reducing the number of those potentially exposed to opioid addiction.

The task force's efforts led to the development of DVCIPM, which was designated as a Defense Department Center of Excellence last year.

Schoomaker, now retired, continues to lead these efforts, serving as vice chair for leadership, centers and programs for USU's department of military and emergency medicine, which oversees DVCIPM.

"We now have good evidence for the use of non-pharmacologic, non-opioid treatments, such as yoga, guided imagery, medical massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, Tai Chi, as well as a closely related movement therapy called Qigong, and music therapy," he said. "We have pretty good research to endorse their use."

Because these practices might not work the same for each person, he added, it's important to use a variety of these modalities as part of a comprehensive program, tailored to the needs of an individual with chronic pain. Now, thanks to the official collaboration between USU and WVU, DVCIPM will have the opportunity to continue researching the efficacy of various integrative modalities and the pain management tools and resources they've developed.

"We owe it to our patients, and we owe it to practitioners, to only use tools that have good evidence for their use," Schoomaker said.

Gathering, Measuring Data

DVCIPM Director Dr. Chester "Trip" Buckenmaier said the center's tools and resources have mainly been used in a fairly selective population within the military. Studying their efficacy in a smaller system within a state's civilian infrastructure will allow them to gather and measure data on how successful they can be in a broader population, which will continue to help illustrate the potential these tools have.

Battlefield acupuncture is a unique auricular (ear) acupuncture procedure providing an integrative modality to help treat chronic pain. It’s being taught to qualified providers in the military. Now, thanks to a new collaboration between Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and West Virginia University, it’s also being employed in a new pain management center in West Virginia to help combat the opioid crisis. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences photo by Sarah Marshall

"It's important to have relationships like we have with West Virginia. … They pay off in so many different ways that you can never anticipate," Schoomaker said.

Dr. Mike Brumage, WVU's assistant dean for Public Health Practice and Service, initiated the collaborative effort by reaching out to USU about two years ago, wanting to do something about the issue affecting his native West Virginia. At the time, he had just retired after a 25-year career in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and was able to connect with former military health colleagues, including Schoomaker and then-Army Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Richard Thomas, who was serving as the Defense Health Agency's chief medical officer. Thomas is an alumnus of WVU's undergraduate, dental and medical programs, and is now USU's president.

This quickly led to several more meetings and discussions, led by Dr. Clay Marsh, vice president and executive dean of WVU's Health Sciences Center, and Dr. Bill Ramsey, assistant vice president of coordination and logistics for the center.  Ultimately, they arrived at a CRADA, signed off by Thomas and Marsh, and have since continued looking for ways to make the most out of their collaboration.

The hope is that this joint effort will galvanize further interest from other entities, Schoomaker said, leading to other similar collaborations, ultimately continuing the fight against a crisis that's impacting the entire nation.

Shanahan Honors Exemplary Employer Support of the Guard, Reserve

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2017 — Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan today honored 15 companies with the 2017 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for their exemplary support this year of employees who also are members of the National Guard or Reserve.

The award is the highest form of recognition given by the U.S. government to civilian employers for their support of guard and reserve members and their families.

The annual ceremony, held at the Pentagon, included leaders from the DoD Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program, or ESGR, previous award recipients, current and former DoD personnel, congressional representatives, and guard members and reservists and their families and friends.

Shanahan also welcomed singer and entertainer Marie Osmond, who was raised in a military family and has entertained troops around the world, to the award ceremony to make remarks and introduce the deputy secretary.

“We really do, here in the Pentagon, do our best to take care and provide for our men and women but you and your organizations go the extra mile and you make our jobs easier,” Shanahan said.

“Here in the Pentagon we say leadership casts a long shadow. Your shadow is long. Your employees see it. The communities you operate in see it, and it manifests itself at this level as the will of the nation,” the deputy secretary added.

Shanahan said the award recipients represent the best of the best and come in all shapes and sizes, from 40 employees to 150,000; from Georgia to Arizona, Wyoming to Massachusetts; from services to products, and he described some of what he learned about the companies.

Cargill Inc. offers its employees full pay and benefits over three times the requirement, Comcast NBC Universal has created a military concierge service to assist guard and reserve employees with transitions to and from activities and deployments, and Mesa Natural Gas Solutions, Zapata Inc. and Johnson & Johnson have adopted generous military leave policies that offer continuous benefits throughout deployment, the deputy secretary said.

Accordia Urgent Health Care & Family Practice offers free medical screenings to service members and provides full pay and benefits to deployed employees for up to a year, he said, Hensel Phelps Construction pays the difference between employee salaries and military pay during the entire period of deployment and training, and CSI Aviation offers scholarships to service members' dependents to help them meet their educational goals.

And, Shanahan added, an employee of Andeavor [formerly Tesoro] received a massive shipment of Fritos after mentioning to a supervisor back home that he missed them.SOT 2

 “We see your shadow,” Shanahan said to the company representatives. “We win wars with capability. We win wars with people, and we win wars with will. We respect what you're doing, what you are giving and quite frankly what you inspire.”

Shanahan said the reason he wanted to learn about these companies and call them out is because the Pentagon appreciates their work.

“Today is about recognizing these companies, but we [also] remember,” he said. “We remember the people who give [and] we remember the people who support us.”

Award Recipients

2017 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Recipients:

-- Accordia Urgent Care & Family Practice, Vidalia, Georgia, nominated by the Air Force Reserve.

-- Andeavor (formerly Tesoro), San Antonio, nominated by the Army Reserve.

-- Boston Scientific, Marlborough, Massachusetts, nominated by the Air National Guard.

-- Cargill Inc., Minnetonka, Minnesota, nominated by the Army National Guard.

-- CSI Aviation, Albuquerque, New Mexico, nominated by the Army National Guard.

-- Comcast NBC Universal, Philadelphia, nominated by the Air National Guard.

-- Hensel Phelps Construction Company, Greeley, Colorado, nominated by the Army Reserve.

-- Howard County Fire & Rescue, Columbia, Maryland, nominated by the Coast Guard Reserve.

-- Indianapolis Fire Department, Indianapolis, nominated by the Air Force Reserve.

-- Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, New Jersey, nominated by the Air National Guard.

-- Mesa Natural Gas Solutions, Casper, Wyoming, nominated by the Army National Guard.

-- Office of the District Attorney 18th Judicial District, Centennial, Colorado, nominated by the Marine Corps Reserve.

-- Renown Health, Reno, Nevada, nominated by the Air National Guard.

-- Salt River Project, Tempe, Arizona, nominated by the Army National Guard.

-- Zapata Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina, nominated by the Air National Guard.